Resident Evil: Project Genesis
by Leon's Deadly Kiss
Summary: On an uncharted island, Leon Kennedy and his partner of mystery struggles to survive and investigate Umbrella's latest bioweapon. The Genesis virus is just one stone away from wiping out a whole country or so. Freedom of Umbrella's a long way to go.
1. Prologue

Prologue

It's been so long since then. It all started in a town near the Arklay Mountains, Raccoon City. On that very day, September 29, 1998, an outbreak occurred and was caused by an unclassified specimen called the T-virus which was the main project of the international pharmaceutical enterprise, Umbrella. September 29 was also my first day on the force in Raccoon, R.P.D.

Upon entering the city, I discovered of what had happened to the town. There I met a college student, Claire Redfield, who claimed to be looking for her brother, Chris. We both were separated in a crash but are still in contact using the radios. We also had met William Birkin, the one who made the T-virus, in his mutated stages and Annette, his wife and assistant. They were creating crazy experiments and it was terrifying to encounter every battle with them. We also got to meet Sherry, their daughter. She had been injected with the G-virus and the only cure was a special type of vaccination. The G-virus is also known as the Gene-virus while the T-virus is known as the Tyrant-virus. There's a difference between the two; the G-virus is said to be the ultimate virus. It can inject embryos into the victim's descent in order to continue its growth in great numbers. The mutative stages are powerful but lose control of the intellect, turning the victim into a non-stop killing machine. On the other hand, the T-virus isn't as powerful as the G-virus but is still deadly. It either brings corpses back to life or mutates them. Their last and only goal is to have the urge to eat human flesh.

Claire and I managed to save Sherry from the G-virus and escaped the Raccoon City horrors before the sterilization occurred. Claire went separate ways to look for her brother while Sherry and I were approached by the U.S. Military. Sherry was taken into protective custody of the government. I on the other hand, was approved to have a job under the U.S. Government, after they heard about my status in Raccoon.

Somehow I felt like I failed my mission by not saving those other survivors in Raccoon. One's death has haunted me till this day. I even had myself shot for that very person who had betrayed my trust but there's no use in expression of grief now and you can't always change what has been done…but I can change what Umbrella has done and I must do it alone, for I don't want anyone else I care about to die before my very eyes or live in the misery of the T-virus' horrific effects. I'll end Umbrella...once and for all...


	2. Chapter 1: Rather Go Solo

Chapter 1: Rather Go Solo

Two years have passed since then. I became an Anti-Umbrella activist and had special training over the years. My mission was to find out about the Veronica-virus and what Umbrella, or should I say, what that organization was up to. Claire was included as a witness along with her brother and said that a person by the name of Steve Burnside was presumed dead but his body was taken away since the specimens inside of his body were still alive. This investigation started three months later after the Raccoon City incident. A coincidence, is it? I don't think so.

Washington D.C., Subway – 3:27 pm

I decided to take the week off and this is just the 3rd day. I was heading home through the subway until I got a call on my cell phone. I answered it.

"Hello? This is Leon."

"Leon, it's Bruce. I need you over here right now."

"Come on, Bruce. I'm tired and I ain't up for it just yet."

"This is real urgent."

I sighed. "What is it?"

"I can't tell over the phone, it's confidential."

"Fine, I'll be right over."

Instead of using the subway to head home, I went to headquarters. I wondered what Bruce could have wanted from me.

Anti-Umbrella headquarters - 3:39 pm

Walking onto the floor that Bruce is on, I felt that something really unexpected, something I didn't want would happen. I just wish that I could have one week off but I guess wishes can't come true all the time. Entering Bruce's office, I saw him sitting at his desk with a serious look on his face.

"So why'd ya call me?" I started walking towards him.

"We found it."

"You don't mean--?"

"We found Umbrella...or should I say what's left of it. Wesker now works with some other organization but is having plans of rebuilding his new Umbrella."

"The Umbrella has folded and will be unfolded again. So what's the plan?"

"You'll investigate the location of the organization; destroy facility once you escape."

"That's all?"

He propped his elbows on the desk with his hands clasped together. "...Take one sample of the virus back for closer examination."

"Bruce, you can't be serious. Bringing a sample could cause another outbreak."

"Leon, you and I are the government's dogs. Like dogs, we have to be loyal to our masters. Don't obey a command, no bone. As for us humans, we can't disobey the boss or you'll loose the job."

"But, Bruce--"

"Chief's orders."

Suddenly, a woman appeared by the door way. She had collar length dark-brown hair and eyes, and wore a uniform that looked like it came from the rookies' section. Must be new here, I guess. Somehow, her face shocked me a bit. She looks so familiar but I never had met her before. Who is this woman?

"Excuse me, Mr. McGivern, you were calling me?" She had a smile that took my breath away but finding out why she's here took it all away.

"Leon, this is Ms. Walker. She just transferred from New York's highest security and will be your support on this mission."

"Nice to meet you." She shook my hand that I had a momentary pause of movement but then I snapped out of it and pulled my hand away.

"Bruce, whatever happened to my request for going solo?!"

"Like I said, it's the chief's orders."

I slammed my hands on the desk and the sound of the force echoed. "Damn it, Bruce! I said that I wanted to be solo on my missions! I would rather go it alone than have anyone, especially a woman be partnered with me!"

"Excuse me, but what the hell's your problem?" The sudden yell made me turn to the female rookie. "You think I ain't good? Is that it? If I wasn't, then why was I accepted to a top rank job like this?! Anyways, I know the facility's location and the research done there…and that proves me qualified." She had eyes which were very confident but had fiery anger inside. I said no more to offend her.

"Still ticked off, huh? I know what you've been through but you can't always keep thinking about the past and what's done is done. You--"

"Do you have to bring that up?!" Bruce stopped with an expression of self-reproach. "Look, I just don't want to talk about this, alright?!"

"You both start tomorrow and you two are going to be partners whether you like it or not, end of story."

He hands out two envelopes with our files and passports. I took them and we both went outside of the office. After closing the door, I handed out her files and she basically snatched them out of my hand and left me standing there, without saying a word. I knew how angry she was with me but I have my own reasons. Walking towards the opposite direction, I knew that from that point, being partnered was the unexpected thing I didn't want. What's worse about it is that it's a woman.


	3. Chapter 2: Bites Are Worse Than Barks

Chapter 2: Bites Are Worse Than Barks

My Apartment – 5:47 am

Reading the files on the mission, I soon learned my objectives. First we have to take a ship, a train, and then a plane to get to the organization's facility. Walker had been spying on the facility for the past few months while she was still in Barcelona. _Damn woman! Why did she have to come along? Why is it that she reminds me of her?_

Suddenly, the taxi which was supposed to transport me was there. I got out of my apartment and stepped into it, carrying my bag of ammunition and supplies. As I was waiting for the drive to end, I propped my elbow on the door's window frame and leaned my chin on my fist, just thinking about Walker. _That face…it reminds me so much of her._ That thought caused me to sigh. Bruce was probably right, I shouldn't keep thinking about the past; it keeps haunting me everyday.

Docks – 6:09 am

Arriving at the docks was no problem but meeting with Walker was. When I looked out the window and saw her, I felt like I wanted to lock myself inside or just push her in the cab and continue the mission by myself. She looked even angrier than yesterday. Still hasn't forgiven me I guess. Stepping out of the taxi, she came over to me with a cranky face and growled.

"What took you so long?! I don't have all day!"

"What are you talking about? I came on time."

"You're nine minutes late." She sternly said as she crossed her arms.

"What's the big deal? I'm just nine minutes late and the ship hasn't left yet."

"Just shut up and get up there!" She commanded me.

"Geez, someone woke up on the wrong side of the bed."

Walker groaned. "Don't get the wrong idea of me."

"Chill, Walker. I'm just playing."

She rolled her eyes and walked ahead. She said no more to me.

After having our tickets checked and located our cabin, the ship finally had set sail and it's going to take a day or so to head to the next destination. Our cabin was third class but was in pretty good condition.

"You'll take the bottom and I'll take the top." she said, being snooty and all. When it comes to bunk beds, I'd always take the top but if I do it here, Walker might just toss me down or something. It looks like I've got no choice or else.

Lying on the lumpy bed, I felt that this was going to be a long trip. Several hours have passed and the sun has set. I was lying on my rather not so comfy bed, barefooted and shirtless but still had my jeans on. I was half awake but still didn't feel the need to sleep.

"Walker?" I called out, hoping her mockery could entertain me for a while.

"What?" Her voice was at least gentler then before, weirdly. _Hmm, must be halfway to dreamland. Good for me. _

"Are you still up?"

"I'm just checking our procedures. Why'd ya ask?"

"Not that there was any reason."

There was a sudden moment of silence consuming the room, making my time feel a bit wasted.

"Boring isn't it?" I could hear her yawn, sounding like she had over worked a bit.

"Definitely boring..."

"Better hit the sack?" She asked.

"Better hit the sack."

I could hear the sound of the bed moaning, most probably because she was lying down. Silence was stirring up in the room again, enticing me to close my eyes. After I had my eyelids shut, out of the blue, a sound made me immediately sit up with eyes wide opened; it was a woman screaming.

"What was that?" Walker asked.

"I better check it out."

I got up from my bed and pushed my pillow aside on the bed. Under it was the two pistols I had placed there earlier. Walker jumped down from the upper bunk and I saw that she was wearing a white tank top and black nylon pants. I threw one of the 9mms to her and signaled to move forward to the door.

"Watch my back." I whispered. She nodded in reply.

I slowly but slightly opened the door and peeked out, seeing that the hallway outside of our room was very dark; none of the side lamps were on. I took a flashlight out of my pocket and switched it on. I stepped into the hallway looking at both directions from where I stood with the light positioned to everywhere I turned -- including the 9mm. There then was a moan coming from my left and I turned to that direction. I pointed my flashlight and gun, side to side, searching for the cause of such a disturbing moan. As I brought my eyes down to the floor, I could see a trail of blood smeared on the floor. I followed the trail along with Walker behind me until I came to something I didn't want to see. I found the cause of the blood -- a body. It was a woman's corpse. Still in her robes, she was very bloody and ripped to shreds.

"What could've done this?" Walker asked in disgust. I couldn't possibly bring a thought of what could've done such a slaughter. I couldn't look at it any longer that I stood up and gazed into the black void in front of me.

"I have no idea but I think we should get back to the cabin."

"Alright." was the only reply she gave me.

As I turned on my heel, I heard infuriated growls from behind. I didn't want to turn to look but I didn't hesitate. I looked over my shoulder, glancing at the dark area behind me. Just to make sure that there was nothing there; I shed light on the dark portion with my flashlight and saw four orange beady eyes that were illuminated by it. I stood there frozen; my heart was pounding so intensely that I could hear it. Walker was walking ahead of me without noticing that I wasn't following her back to the room or that there was something there. I had to inform her about whatever was stalking us in a discreet way.

"Walker!" I loudly whispered to get her attention. I now can hear the growls coming from behind me, getting even louder.

"What?" she was unaware of what was happening.

"Run by the count of three."

"What?"

"Just trust me. Run to the cabin and don't look back."

"What are you talking about--?"

"One, two, three, go!" I yelled.

She was able to get into the cabin before me. I still ran and looked back, seeing that two deadly and repulsive Cerberuses were chasing me. They were much bigger and more rabid than the one's I've battled against in Raccoon. They were more muscular as if they had been going on steroids. I ran as fast as I could to the room and sprinted myself into it, kicking the door behind me, feeling the two Cerberuses collide against the impact of it closing. I could hear the sounds of scratches and barks from outside the door. A strong bang then was heard. I locked the door and pushed the desk from the side to barricade it. I pushed it against the door with all the strength I had, to buy more time before we become dog food.

"What's going on?" Walker asked worryingly.

"There's no time to explain. Find us a way out."

We looked around for something that could help us escape. I had my eyes more focused on the door. Walker looked up and found the way out of here.

"Will the air vent be much of use?" She pointed.

"Can you climb up there?" She nodded in reply.

She grabbed her things then pulled the chair that was beside the bunks to the center of the room where the vent was. She stepped on the chair and mounted her foot on its top rail. She tried opening the vent but the grate was screwed tight. She then starts hitting it forcibly with the end of the handgun. After a few seconds more, the grate broke off and fell to the floor, causing a metal crashing sound to echo in the room. She then bolted up into that small opening.

"Hurry!" she gestured.

I readied myself to run while pushing my back against the desk. I then immediately stopped fortifying the door then ran to my bed to pick up my bag and shoes. As I went up the chair, I saw that the two Cerberus had gashed a small hole in the door but still kept clawing at it to get inside. I stepped on the chair's top rail and reached for the small opening. I pulled half of myself up, with all my weight supported on my forearms. Suddenly, I heard wood break that I looked down, seeing that the Cerberuses have barged in. One of them jumped, aiming for my leg but instead jumped on the chair, causing it to fall to the ground, leaving me dangling with no extra support to climb up. Walker pulled my arms and dragged most of me except my right leg inside the vent. One of the Cerberus jumped up, going for my leg again. Luckily, Walker grabbed my thigh and pulled it up just on time before it could become a chew toy. The Cerberuses were circling under vent's opening and kept jumping up, trying to get in. I was lying on my back, taking a breather.

"Thanks, Walker." I then got on my knees.

"That might as well prove me qualified, right?"

"I don't think so." I said, crawling ahead of her through the narrow passage.

"You just won't admit it." She then started following me.

"Admit?"

"Admit that I'm just as good as you."

"Now isn't the time for debates. We have to get out of here."

"Hey! Stop changing the topic!"

"I'm serious. Just keep quiet for ten minutes and let me find us a way out of here."

"Fine but don't expect me to save your precious leg next time."

I sighed, seeing that this conversation was pointless. I felt like I was bringing a child with me. She thinks that ranks are more important than anything else. Boy, being partnered was definitely a mistake.

We crawled and crawled to many directions and couldn't find our way out. I was getting tired of the heat inside and could no longer support my weight on my hands. I had to get out of there somehow. Out of the blue, I heard skittering against metal from not so far. I decide to move on with haste rather than encounter what caused it.

"Walker, move!" I whispered.

We went through another direction, left and right, trying to get away from the sound which kept getting louder and louder with an aggravating breathing. As I was going further into the dark, I suddenly felt nothing under my hand then I felt Walker bump against me, causing me too fall into an opening which leads me to land on something soft. I then felt something heavy fall on me and it wasn't a nice feeling.

"Walker, do you mind?" I winced.

"Sorry." Walker apologized as she squirmed off my torso.

As soon as she got off of me, I brought the beaming glow of my flashlight on the hole I fell through. I saw nothing there and brought the light down to the thing I landed on. I was in a laundry basket full of grubby towels. I got out and flicked the light switch on. We were in a laundry room and it appeared that no struggle was caused. I then walked to the door and tried to open it. The unsatisfactory thing was that it was lock.

"Damn!" I yelled, kicking the door in exasperation. Still, there was no use for kicking it down since that it was tightly bolted. Electronically locked I think.

"So what do we do now?" Walker asked.

"Hmm…what about the laundries shoot?" I suggested as I put my shoes on and tied the laces.

"You've gotta be kidding me." she crossed her arms.

"What other choice do we have? And there's no way that I can fit in there" I tried convincing as I slipped on a white shirt on me.

"Point taken but I do wish that there would have been a better way." She admitted her defeat and agreed with the plan.

She pokes her head in the shoot and sees that it's just at least ten feet up to the next floor. She puts on her boots, grabbed her bag, and got inside.

"Is there any last words you wanna tell me before I leave?"

"Yeah…Walker, watch your back."

"Gee, thanks for the not so helpful advice and by the way, the name's Elza." she informed as she climbed up. _Gee, she does have a first name after all_, I mused.


	4. Chapter 3: Abandon Ship

Chapter 3: Abandon Ship

After getting into the narrow shoot, I thanked Leon for his not so helpful advice and told him my name. I then started climbing with my hands and feet pressed against the cold metal walls, bringing my weight up. Soon after I had reached about seven feet, Leon popped his head in.

"How much slower can you be?" He impatiently said.

"Hey, climbing through a small shoot isn't that easy." I said, looking down at him.

"By the way, Elza's a nice name."

"Well I don't really like that name but it's better than Walker. Anyways, if you still keep your head there, I might as well make a safe landing on it if I fall."

"Oh, you really are being in your prime." He said sarcastically.

"In a way, yes I am." I nonchalantly said.

"Never mind…" He didn't want to bother talking to me anymore and I kept climbing.

I opened the grate of the small opening and crawled through, entering the maids' closet. I looked for something that could be of use but there was nothing of interest. As I opened the door, I bumped it against someone, causing that person to fall. I went around the door to see a man on his front, face down.

"Sir, are you alright?" I asked in concern, placing my hand on his shoulder.

All I heard from him was a moan which gave me a spine-chilling moment. He then began to look me over his shoulder. When I saw the face, I became petrified, falling on my rear end in frightful awe of what I saw. He had a face which was torn of flesh, pale eyes, and a repulsive bloody mouth to go with it. I pointed my gun at it, squirming away from the thing. Disliking the thought, I had no choice. At head point, I shot the man. He fell to the floor and twitched for a while before becoming a soul's mere shell. I gave out a big sigh after encountering the unexpected and left the small hall.

I now was on the lounge room's second balcony. I looked below the railings and saw the lounge below me but it was trashed and no sign of anyone. I looked at my brochure and went through the map, finding out where that laundry room was. I had to go down to the basement in order to get there.

I also looked at the other areas. The double doors in the middle right lead to the deck while the other two double doors in the opposite direction leads to the cabins including mine. The one on the next floor leads to the dining and bar room, then the control room.

I went down the stairs and tried opening the door to the deck. No use cause it was locked -- lock picking isn't going to do much help since that it was old fashioned. I then opened the door to the basement. It was dark and I had no flashlight with me so I carefully stepped down with the door behind me left open to allow in some light. As soon as I reached the bottom, I stretched my hands forward to make sure I don't bump into something. I slid my hands against the wall, looking for the light switch. As soon as I found it, I flipped the switch and turned on a dim and flickering light bulb. It made the moment more eerie.

I walked over to the door which had a metal plate engraved with "Laundry Room". I tried opening it but the door was locked. I soon then noticed that there was a card reader on the side.

"Hey, Leon, are you still alive in there?" I teased.

"Can you open the door?" _I guess he ignored my joke_.

"No, I need some sort of keycard for this."

"Try seeing if there might be a clue to where it is."

I looked around the small hall for something but it was too hard to see in the dark. As I was walking around, I felt like I stepped on something. I bent down and picked up a clipboard.

"Leon, I'm gonna need that flashlight of yours." He slid it through the gap under the door. "Thank you." I said perkily.

I picked it up and turned it on, letting the light glow on the memo which was attached to the clipboard. It says that someone has been stealing the laundry that they had to install a card reader -- now I didn't want to know that. If anyone wanted to get inside, he'd have to ask the captain's permission.

"Hey, are you still there?"

"Yeah, I'm just going to the control room now."

"Be careful." He advised.

"Thanks, you too…" I said as I stood up.

Before going up, I decided to pay a visit to the clinic which was next to the laundry room. At the same time as I was opening the door, another of those zombie-like things in a nurse's outfit came charging at me. Immediately, I dodged before she could grab me and kicked her by the hinge of the leg, breaking it, causing her to fall. I then brought out my knife and gashed it into her forehead. It soon became what it was suppose to be; dead.

I entered the clinic and pointed my gun out. There was no occupant so it was safe for now. I grabbed two first aid kits and a couple of bandages just in case if Leon gets little booboos from his arrogance. I went out of the clinic and made my way to the third floor.

I opened the door in front of me and saw another trashed room. I was in the dinner and bar room. I saw people, dead on the floor with blood streaming out of them. These bodies were different from the ones I saw earlier. They were intensely clawed rather than bitten.

I readied my gun just in case if they were going to rise and attack me. I cautiously walked forward to the bloody door in front of me and avoided going near the bodies. As soon as I opened it, I saw an old man in uniform, bleeding a great amount of blood. I rushed over to him and came to his aid.

"Sir, are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine." He grunted from the pain.

I then took a closer look at the bleeding. "The bleeding's got to stop." I then got iodine out of the kit and dabbed a lot on the wounds using a few balls of cotton. I bandaged him soon after. "That'll have to do."

"Thanks but I'm not going to last long. I'm getting weaker by the minute. Anyways, I've always cherished this ship ever since I've first sailed it. I'm going down with it."

"Are you the captain?"

"Yes by all means."

"I read your memo earlier about the laundry room. My…well…friend is locked inside and I need the keycard to get him out."

"Wait a minute, is he the thief who keeps on stealing the laundry?"

I cocked up a brow, having no idea why he had to bring that up. "Uh…no…I don't think he is."

"Never mind then." He chuckled, seeing my reaction. He then pulls something out of his bloody pocket. "Here, it's the keycard."

I took it out of his trembling hands and went over to the control panel on the right. Every switch and button was short circuited. I didn't want to touch it or I would end up in a nasty shock.

"Tell me captain." I turned to him. "Is there a way we can escape?"

"The doors to the deck are locked. My first mate has the key. Go to room 143. You'll find him and his fiancée there. Afterwards, go use the life boats which are just hanging around the deck."

"I'll come back for you later."

"There's no need. I've always vowed to myself that I'll never leave this ship sailing in the middle of the ocean alone till I depart this life."

"Is that really what you want?" I asked, being heartfelt for the old man.

"Certainly…" he then gave out a small cough.

"Alright but I'm still coming back to give you some company till you're gone."

"Thank you."

"It's my job."

I then left the room and made my way downstairs, back to the basement. I then went to the door and inserted the keycard into the reader. Soon, a green light glows and I could hear the door unlock. I opened the door and there stood Leon a few inches in front of me.

"So what took you so long?"

"No time for complaints, Kennedy. There's a survivor up there in the control room. I'll have to look out for him. You go find the first mate in room 143 and get the keys for the deck. Think you're up for it?"

"You bet. I'll meet you up there as soon as I can."

"By the way, you're gonna need this." I gave him back his flashlight.

"I'll go now." He said, running up the stairs, leaving me down there. I soon went back up later on.

--

Okay, back with me. I entered one of the hallways and there were a lot of zombies in there. I kept shooting and reloading till there was a clear path for me to go through. I soon ran into room 143 and saw a man on the floor, held close a woman's corpse, sobbing his tears out.

"Sir, are you okay?" I walked towards him.

"Hold it!" He pointed a gun at me.

"Wait! I'm human!" I motioned.

He lowered his gun. "Then who are you?"

"I'm Leon. I'm with the government and here to rescue you."

"You're too late for that now. My girl's dead and there's no point of continuing with this any longer." he sobbed. He then brought the gun up to his head and loaded the gun by pulling down the mechanism at the back.

"Whoa, take it easy." I gestured. "It's not going to help you out with anything."

"Well I'm not staying here any longer. I'm joining my beloved and I'll stay with her forever."

"No don't--" There was a loud gunshot and blood spattered on my face and the shirt I was wearing which was once clean and white.

I couldn't look at the tragedy before me. It looked so depressing seeing two people lying on the floor, lifeless. I hated what I was about to do but I didn't hesitate. I bent down and went through the dead man's pockets. I found the keys to the deck. As I was about to open the door and back into the zombie infested hall, I turned around and looked at the two. I wondered; _will I be just like that guy, just giving up just like that? I know how it feels to lose the most important person in your life but I kept encouraging others and especially myself to hold on but I still keep living with this depression. I'd always see her face in my sleep, never leaving me alone in slumber. I would also think about what I would do if I had a new person in my life and allow the same thing to happen. I definitely wouldn't live with myself probably._ I decided not to think anymore and opened the door, speeding out through that zombie infested hall and made my way upstairs after unlocking the doors to the deck. I entered the control room upon seeing that Elza was looking after the captain.

"Leon, you got it?" Elza turned to me when she heard the door shut.

"Yeah but…"

I felt her gently place her hand on my shoulder and gave me a non-expressive face. "You tried." She said with one pat on the shoulder, knowing what had happened.

I felt a sudden shake of the ship. Just like how it would feel if you were sailing in a middle of a hurricane. I was stumbling from the movement, trying to keep myself balanced. Rapidly, a sharp edged tentacle crashed through the glass, dug through the captain's gut, and pulled him out into the ocean.

"No way!" I exclaimed. I began to walk forward to the scene but I stopped and looked back, seeing Elza holding my wrist in a firm grip.

"No, we have to get out of here!" She said in somber.

She opened the door and pulled me out. More of those tentacle things came crashing in through the windows and the metallic walls, spreading around the place. We had to crouch in order to avoid being punctured by any of them. Once we were at the stairs, the ship felt like it was sinking. We stumbled down the steps as we made it all the way to the bottom. We could even hear the banging of the halls' doors from the zombies and Cerberuses that were trapped in there, wanting to get out and get a taste of us. We ran out to the deck and we stopped in deep shock.

"W-what the hell is that?!" Elza asked in fright.

The monster that was responsible for the tentacles could now be seen completely. It was something similar to a squid or octopus except the difference is that it was larger like five stories high. It had a gruesome mouth with rows of bloody razor sharp teeth inside -- mostly giving the idea of where the captain ended up in. It reminded me of my studies in mythology, the kraken because of its distinguished appearance. It was wrapping its tentacles around the ship and then suddenly, it was pulling it down to the ocean with it.

I began to look around and saw some lifeboats dangling on the side. "Get to the lifeboat!" I yelled to Elza, running towards one of them. I was almost there until one of the tentacles hit me against the torso, throwing me hard with my back against one of the borders. It gave me one heck of a headache. I could see Elza running towards me but she should get into the boat; it isn't safe here.

"Elza, stay back!" I gestured but she didn't hesitate to turn. She came to my side and helped me get up. I pushed her back down to get down on the floor, preventing us from getting hit. I even slashed out every tentacle that was going to grip us with my knife. We quickly crawled our way to one of the lifeboats which were hanging from a pulley and got on. We had to get down immediately before the ship sinks, otherwise we'll capsize with it. So I took out my gun out of its holster and thought of an idea.

"Hold on tight." I said as I aimed at the pulley. I shot it and it broke off, causing the lifeboat to fall into the sea from a great height. I threw one of the oars to Elza and we started to paddle away from the destruction. The tentacles kept coming towards us but I kept shooting them to buy us more time. They were very far from us after we were a few feet away; they couldn't reach us anymore.

"I guess we'd better move."

"Wait a minute, Leon. We can't just leave that thing in the middle of the ocean."

"My thoughts, exactly." I said as I was looking through my bag of ammunition.

"What are you doing?"

"Blowing it up is what I have in mind." I was holding up a grenade in front of her. Since that we're far enough from the monster, I thought I could turn the ocean into my own battle field. After grabbing a couple more, I pulled the pins and threw the grenades into the ship. They were good shots. Within seconds, the whole thing blew up with burning metal and blood falling out of the sky like a heavy rainfall.

"I guess that could do us good for an S.O.S. sign." I said as I plopped down in the boat, looking at the ship wreck.

"Is it silly for me to say but I think that was kinda fun." She grinned.

I cocked up a brow and gave out a small chortle. "Shut up." I smirked in disbelief.

"Really, I mean it." She still plastered that smile on her face.

"You've gotta be kidding." She smirked with her eyes positioned in a suspicious expression. "Seriously?" She nodded. "You're the strangest person I've ever met." She then smacked me at the back of my head. "Ow! What the hell did you do that for?!" Okay, now that really pissed me off. If she were a guy, I'd…oh, never mind.

"For calling me unusual, jerk!"

"Welcome, bitch." I sarcastically grinned.

"You're impossible!" She kicked me on the leg.

"I think I'm adorable." The irony really aggravated her that she turned away from me with a load of groans. I was just looking up at the sky and enjoyed both the stars and moon before I could lose another moment of my precious time. _Then again, it could be my last. Sheesh! These negative thoughts are getting the better of me._


	5. Chapter 4: Crossroads And Crossed Faces

Chapter 4: Crossroads And Crossed Faces

I felt the warmth of the sun's rays upon my face and fluttered my eyes opened. I got up to sit and felt that my back was sore; sleeping in a lifeboat wasn't much of a luxury. I stretched my arms and yawned then looked at Walker. She was sleeping soundly and luckily she doesn't snore or I'd be up all night and I'd find myself sleeping in the morning. I wondered how long we've been floating up here. It was morning but I didn't know what time it exactly was. I got my cell phone out of my pocket to call for help but no signal and with that, I cussed under my breath. I then lay back down and went back to sleep.

--

12:59 am

I woke up from the sound of metal blades cutting through air and looked up to see a helicopter above us. Leon was still sleeping that I shook him up back to consciousness. The pilot threw the rope ladder down and we climbed up. We then took a seat and buckled up.

"It's about time." Leon started. "How long does it take for you guys to come and rescue?"

"Sorry but it took us like five hours or so to get here." One of the pilots replied.

"Leon, don't you have any patience at all?" I scoffed.

"What about you when we were boarding the cruiser? You didn't have any serenity either." He smugly smiled.

"And neither do I have the patience to give you a heck of a beating on that pretty face of yours."

Leon scorned at my threat and told me the words, "Say what you want but I'm not gonna do anything childish as that." I uttered a few words and turned my head to face the window rather than that lousy old bum. _We never are going to get along, are we? Well I hope so not and I wouldn't be caught dead doing it._ From that point, we headed for our next destination.

--

Train – 5:10 pm

_Geez! I still can't believe that I had to be with her. She's an absolute nightmare! And that punch in the face was no joke. That girl's given me enough trouble than I could even bear._

I didn't know what country we were in -- even though it might have been mentioned in the files although I might have missed a few words -- but we were definitely in Europe. We were at some old train station and when I meant old, I meant steam trains. It wasn't much but it was the only quickest way to the military air base in the north. I was glad when the train started moving; I was bored inside our cabin and didn't have much to do. A few hours had passed and I was checking out my weaponry while callous Walker was just reading a small pocket book. We didn't talk to each other after those many arguments we had earlier. I sighed at the thought; _we could never work like this. It's every agent's trait to cooperate whether the person was or wasn't affiliated with him but how can we possibly? Hmm…now that I think of it, maybe I shouldn't have been so harsh at first. Shut up, Kennedy! You knew she had it coming to her and it's all her fault, not yours._ After snapping myself out of it, I began to make an interruption in the silence.

"So, what happened to the mocking? Scared to continue any further? Come on, blow another one on me." I pestered.

"In not in the mood right now, Kennedy." She calmly said without looking me in the eye. Now it struck me; _why is it that she's only nice when she's reading or distracted? And why is she only ruthless when she's giving all the attention to me? What an eccentric personality. I'm not sure if I should even be scared about it._

"Oh, come on! That's what you do best, isn't it?"

"Leon, do you even think it's nice to receive or even do ridicule? I just want to have peace now and not pissed seconds of my life passing by." She sternly stated.

"Sorry." Was all I could pronounce. I had a slight feeling of guilt and stood up from my seat, feeling like I said too much of stupidity. "So, I guess you could use some alone time."

"Leon, I didn't mean it like that--"

"I'll just go for a walk outside." I went through the door and shut it tight. I then started my walk from that point.

--

6:03 pm

Leon had been gone for quite a while now. I wonder what happened to him. I was still reading my book and had made it to chapter five. _I hope that I didn't offend him or anything. Snap out of it, Elza! You're just acting guilty, that's all. When he comes back, I'll give him another piece of my mind. Yeah, that's what I'll do._

Within moments, I heard gunfire. "What now?" Why is it that trouble's at every corner?

I heard the door open and saw Leon holding his 9mm. "It's happening here, too." He informed.

"What?!" I said, gripping my bag, watching him grab his. He grabbed my wrist and pulled me out of the cabin, causing me to drop my book on the floor. "Wait, my book--"

"Forget the book. We have to go, now!" I had no idea if that was a command or an apprehensive suggestion but after seeing the dead zombie at the corner, I just went with it. Leon pulled me to the next car and we had to shoot down every zombie that's in our way. We did the exact same thing from car to car. It felt stranger to me; _why is it that Leon's bringing us to the front? Shouldn't we try to get off of this thing?_

"Leon, where are we going?" I asked while the coast was clear.

"The engine."

"Engine? Why there?"

"Just a feeling of that we have to."

That wasn't very convincing but I let him do it his way, anyway. We already went through eight cars till the last and the train felt like it was getting even faster by the minute. Leon tried to open the door to the outside but it was sealed shut. The train was old so rust must have encrusted it. Leon looked up and saw a trapdoor hinged on the ceiling. It was big enough for him to fit through.

"Wait here." He jumped up to push it open and it was a success. Leon jumped up again to catch the border and I helped, giving him a boost up there. He climbed on and now was on the top of the car. I just stayed in and waited for him to come back.

--

I tried keeping my balance as I walked forward to the edge. There was a cart of coal in front of me and the engine ahead. I readied myself to jump but suddenly, something jumped from behind and pushed me down into the piles of coal and I dropped my gun from the hard fall. I could see that it was a Licker on top of me and it was ready to get a bite out of me. It licked its tongue across my face, leaving its drool on me and the smell was revolting that I felt like gagging. I tried pushing it off but its arms were locked around my waist. It charged its head at me but I shoved my hands into its face and tried to prevent it from sinking its teeth into me. I tried all the effort to push it off but it still kept going. It then wrapped its tongue around my neck and attempted to strangle me. I still tried to push it away but as my breathing was dropping down, I started to get weak. My arms were lowering and my eyes were becoming watery and bloodshot, slowly closing. _Is this the end for me_, I thought but I still believed in hope.

Soon, I heard two gunshots and brain matter splattered on my face. The Lickers exposed brain was blown off and I pushed the corpse off my body. I looked down at the thing, lightly holding my neck as I took deep breaths, and looked back to see Elza's head popping out of the window, holding her gun out.

"When we get out alive, remind me to thank you." I bellowed.

She rolled her eyes and got back inside. I rubbed the substances off my face with the back of my hand and turned to face the direction of the engine. I staggered as I walked on the coal and got on the engine. There was no one inside and the engine's stove had flames bursting out of the grate. The heat was so intense that I had to cover my face with my arms. I looked at the steam engine's meter but it broke from the strong pressure. The shattered glass of the meter had given my fingers small cuts but lucky it didn't hit my eyes. I jumped back to the coal and looked out the view, seeing that we were getting nearer to a bridge by a curve. To my surprise, the set of rails that were bolted to the ground after the bridge was blocked by a huge amount of rock and ruble blocking the way. _Was there a landslide? No -- Judging by the burn marks from the top of the cliff it collided from, someone purposely blew it up._ I made my way back to the car through the window and met up with Walker again.

"No one's driving this train. We have to get off of here."

"Yeah, but how?"

"Jump."

"What?!"

"We have to jump into the river, it's our only chance. Otherwise, we could have a nasty ending."

"Nasty…?" She looked out the window and saw the scenery. She turned to face me with her mouth slightly opened. "Do we have to?"

"No, we don't have to…but I can jump off and leave you here." My face had no expression to show but I was subconsciously laughing at her reaction.

She mumbled a few words at first. "Fine.", was her answer.

I opened the emergency door on the side and looked down, seeing the steep slope the railroad was on. We were very high and it would be a bad thing if you stepped off the train at that point. As soon as the train got nearer to the river, I held her hand in a firm grip.

"We'll jump in a count of three."

"Leon, I want you to know that if we die, I'll put all the blame on you, suing you in heaven."

I nodded my head in exasperation. "Just work with me." I said in a pissed off tone. "Ready, Elza?" I looked back at her, searching her expression for an answer.

"Ready as I'll ever be." She looked very unsure, even her hand was shaking in mine.

Our stop was almost near and this was it, the moment of survival. We were like twenty feet high but I really don't mind since I really don't have a phobia for heights. I bent my knees and got ready to jump. As soon as we were over the river with a limit of time, I held Elza's hand more tightly. "Okay…one, two, three, jump!" I exclaimed, pulling her down with me. I could hear a small scream coming out of her, knowing that she was probably scared. We dove hard into the water, causing me to let go of her hand, and came face to face with the rapids.

--

I yelped, being so terrified and ended up in the water, losing Leon's grip. I came face to face with the rapids. The current was too strong that it kept pulling me under as I tried to bring myself up to the surface. I tried swimming the best that I could to the side of the riverbank, holding my breath for as long as I could till I resurfaced. I also heard a crash from behind -- must be the train. As I was getting closer, I swiftly lashed my hand out and grabbed a few sturdy roots that were sticking out of the layers of mud. I then used my other hand and pulled myself to land. As I got my whole self out of the water, I turned on my back and took a breather, coughing from all the water I swallowed. I then sat up and pulled my wet hair away from my face and saw the destruction of what has become of the train I once rode.

"Leon?" was the first thing that immediately came in mind. I fixed my head at every direction, looking for him. "Leon?" I again called out but I was only met with the sound of the waterfall and he wasn't anywhere to be found. I then got on my feet. "Leon!" I yelled, turning around as I was moving forward to the edge near the waterfall. As soon as I got there, I looked down at the substructure of the waterfall. I was very high and one little slip could end it all. I had a bad feeling looking down upon it and that wasn't a good thought. "Oh, no." was all I could utter, nodding my head in disbelief. _He couldn't have fallen, he just couldn't_, I franticly thought. "Leon!" I yelled down at the cascade. It was no use. I place both my hands on the sides of my head, and thought of what was I going to do. I pulled myself together after a while and got a rope and grapple hook out of my bag. I tied it against the thick branch of an old willow tree and locked the hook between the twine. I then got my climbing gear and locked the belt against my waist. I pulled the rope through the belt's metal loop and twined it once around my left thigh. I threw the rope over the ledge and took a deep breath before going down. I had sprung back my feet against the cliff's solid yet moist walls as I went lower and lower to the bottom, looking forward to not falling. I was so scared because of my fear for heights -- If only I had more guts to do this more often. After a long way of climbing down, I took off the gear and without delay, looked for Leon. I went searching around the area, near the falls. I only saw his bag drifted on the side and picked it up, knowing that he's probably somewhere in this area. After getting to the far end, I found Leon lying on the side of the falls with his eyes closed. _No, please don't be dead_, I hoped as I rushed over to him. If he was, I'd have to do a lot of paper work for it. I went down to my knees and laid my head on his chest. There was a faint heartbeat but he was still alive. I brought his head up with my right arm and he began to cough out a few spurts of water.

"Leon! Oh, thank God. I thought that you were a goner. You okay?" I asked, so worried about him. _Wait, why I'm I worried? Didn't I say that I don't care about him?_

"I-I'm alright." He said in a dead beat tone. He then made an attempt to try to stand up.

"What are you doing?" I asked, holding his arm down.

He pushed my hand off his bicep and stood up to his feet. He was swaying as he made his first steps, looking as if he was going to pass out. "I'm gonna continue my mission." Again, he said in the same voice manner.

I then immediately stood up. "No you aren't. You can't do it in this condition."

"Yes, I ca--" he was cutoff from the sudden stumble he made. I grabbed him by the front of his shirt, pulling him back to prevent him from falling. But then it backfired; together, we both stumbled a few inches back in my direction and shockingly, we fell to the ground. I was lying on my back with Leon on top of me, using his elbows and forearms to support his weight. There was a small moment of silence as we were on the ground, just staring into each other's eyes in frozen astonishment. I kept my gaze on those two icy blue orbs of his -- they were so beautiful to look at and what is it about that striking face of his? Just looking at it makes me feel this emotion, one that I've never felt in my whole entire life before and finally did for the first time ever. It felt so good yet so wrong at the same time. _Why is it? Could it be because of the latest issues I have? Maybe but I don't know for sure._ It was all weird and wonderful, that's all I could say. I then grew an uncomfortable feeling in my cheeks and felt that they were turning a bit red. My gaze then broke from his, turning my head to the side.

"Uh…sorry…" Leon whispered as he got off.

I sat up and began to formulate my words. "It's fine" I whispered, not looking into his eyes again. I then stood up and walked to the tree behind me, sitting down with my back against the bark. Soon later, Leon joined me, sitting on my left. He had one leg flat on the ground and the other bent up with his hand on the knee. I had my leg over the other with my arms crossed over my chest. I was looking away from Leon then glanced at him. I then turned my head more to the side to get a better look. Weirdly, I saw him smile but for what? _And why is it so soothing to see him do so?_ I shuddered at the thought and turned my head away.

"So…uh, since we made it out alive, you can thank me now." I then turned back to face him, looking for his expression's answer to that statement.

"Oh…yeah…thanks for earlier." He didn't look me in the eye.

I then looked away from him. "Sure… Oh, and by the way. Thanks for helping me face my fears." Saying that made me feel like I'm such a wimp.

"So you were afraid."

I immediately jerked after hearing him say that and directly turned my head to his direction. "What?! Who said that I was?!" I laughed nervously.

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe it was so obvious because of your oh-so tense hands and anxious face?"

"Okay, so you may be a mind reader but anyways, you made me receive a total heart attack from coming down that cliff!" I pointed at it, so furious.

"You mean…you…seriously?" I nodded at every pause. He then bursts out of laughter and I pouted because of him doing that.

"It wasn't easy and I thought you were dead after falling off that cascade. That really got my heart pumping."

"Falling off that waterfall wasn't an enjoyable moment but I had worse you could say."

"Well we should be glad that we made it through, still." I assured.

"Could you do me one favor?"

"I guess." I cocked up a brow, wondering what he could've wanted from me.

"Don't ever drag me into a ship, steam train or any other kind of train, ever again." He vexed. I began to giggle a little after hearing his comment about our "pleasurable" transportations. "One more thing." He continued. "Same goes if it happens to the plane." My giggling then started to stop a bit. Afterwards, my eyes' attention was brought down to his cheek. It was black and blue, all bruised up, and I think he deserved it. My smile then turns into a frown after remembering something from earlier. After that, I decided to yell at this favor he wanted me to do, thinking the joke was completely stupid.

"Hell, no! I'd rather let you stay on one of those things and get on with this mission! You're not worth the time!" I scoffed at him.

"Even natural disasters can't stop your sardonic attitude." He had his brows knitted with utter annoyance.

"Well that's me and that's how I like it." I lied. "Anyways, I'm tired and I'm not in the mood for walking."

"We'll continue on foot, tomorrow." Leon admits, having the stress overcoming him as well.

"Shouldn't one of us keep a look out for the fear that something bad might pop out of nowhere?"

Leon sighed at my question. "I'll do it and you catch a few Zs." He said, looking like he was getting forty winks.

As if I'd let him do it. He'd probably sleep in. "No way, I'm doing it. You get your catnap over there."

"No, I'll--"

"I said I'll do it. If you don't get some rest, I'll put you to sleep, myself."

"Well…it's not necessary, really. I can do it myself." He said, not wanting to continue the fight.

"Fine with me….wimp." I mumbled.

"What was that?"

"Nothing…wimp." He groaned and gently pressed his head against the bark of the tree and slowly drifts into sleep.

A few minutes already have passed, Leon was already sleeping and I was vigilant enough to stay up. I still had a bit of energy in me that I decided not to sleep just yet. I was just looking at the yond, wondering about that latest issue I was thinking about earlier.

"Come on, Elza. Think! What are you going to do? What if you'd get caught?" I whispered the question to myself. "Oh, this is hopeless!" I scolded myself in a soft yet stern tone, digging my face into the palms of my hands.

Before long, I jerked from the feeling of something dropping down on my thigh, with my face still buried in my hands. I slowly brought my hands down, rubbing my finger tips against my face as they trailed down to see what had dropped down on my leg. To my surprise, it was Leon. He was sleeping so deeply with his head laid on my lap, his body curled up on the ground, only allowing me to hear the soft sound of him breathing. His longish dirty blonde bangs were drawn out over his eyes, covering them. I brought my hand near his face but then it started to tremble as it got closer. I pulled it back but determined myself to reach for his face anyway. I gently brushed those golden strands of hair away and revealed his unexposed eyes. _I may not exactly see his eyes right now but he does kinda look sweet when he's sleeping…what on Earth am I saying?! We're ally foes, aren't we? Why is it that every time I look at him, I have this weird sort of feeling? What is it? Am I sick or something? Could it be that I'm overstress?_ I sighed at my thoughts and had consideration of getting some sleep already. Before I even could do so, I smoothly rushed my finger tips against his cheek. His eyes were twitching a bit from the ticklish feeling, forming a small smile on those soft pale pink lips of his. Unexpectedly, a smile began to form on my lips as well. Staring at that face made me blush hot red till I fell deep in my dreams, thinking of positive rather than negative thoughts.

"Sweet dreams…Leon." was the last thing I said before heading off to paradise.


End file.
